Related Through Enemies
by soccerrox4
Summary: Eli states he was bullied when he was nine. What happens if that bully returns? How does Clare know him? What else is she keeping from Eli?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! So this idea just popped into my head one night and I thought, why not? Clare is OCC in this story. If this chapter is a little confusing, it will all be explained in the next chapter. Don't worry, I have this all planned out, sorta. (;**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, sadly. ):**

**Eli's POV**

I was waiting in Chemistry wondering when this stupid bell was going to ring. I just had to have the worst subject ever for the last period of the day. Identifying substances doesn't have anything to do with being a poet when I grow up. Another thing that sucks is today isn't a Friday. If it was a Friday, I would be looking forward to playing video games with Adam. But sadly, it's a Tuesday. Ugh. Is this bell gonna ring? You might be thinking what is so important that I want to leave so badly. Well, after school, I'm hanging out with Clare.

_Clare._

There are no words to describe her. She's just so... perfect. Just hearing her name makes my heart flutter. Cheesy, right? I've turned into such a sap since I've been around her. The things she does to me. Her blue eyes are so inviting. The way her curls bounce and her hips sway when she walks. Her personality is amazing too. If you look at her she looks like a total saint. Yeah right. If anything, she's the total opposite. She doesn't give a crap about what people say about her, she'll curse you out if you're bothering her or one of her friends. Clare's a tough chick but she can also be extremely caring.

The bell interrupted my thoughts and I quickly collected my stuff. I rushed out the classroom and went out the school doors. I was walking to Morty when I stopped and smiled at the sight. Clare was resting on Morty's hood, listening to music from her IPod. She was wearing a white tank top with ripped jean shorts and ankle boots. I could clearly see her nice curves from here. The sun was shining in her direction and she looked so beautiful. Clare was bobbing her head to the music and she had her eyes closed, so thankfully she couldn't see me. I took the time to just stare at her for a moment.

"Are we going to leave or are you just gonna keep staring at me, smiling like an idiot?" said a voice. I snapped out of my trance and saw Clare looking at me, smirking. "I have no idea what you're talking about." I said to her. I kept my head down as I finished the walk to Morty, so she wouldn't notice me blushing. It was kind of awkward. Usually I'm the one making her blush. "Right..." she said while slipping into Morty. I started the car and drove out of the Degrassi parking lot. "Where are we going this time?" Clare said, while fumbling with the radio. "The usual." I replied. After about 5 minutes, I stopped the car and got out with Clare following behind me. Slowed my pace so she can catch up. We were now walking side by side. "Today is a nice day." Clare stated breaking the silence. "It sure is." I said. We finally reached our destination; the park. Yup, the park. This is where we went like every day.

Suddenly Clare stopped. "What's wrong?" I asked, also stopping. She looked me up at me and smiled. I raised my eyebrow, giving her a questioning look. "Race you to the swings!" she shouted and took off. "Hey! No fair!" I yelled and ran after her. When I got to the swings she was already sitting in one of them. "You should have saw that one coming." she said while sticking her tongue out. "Yeah, yeah, I know." I said sitting on a swing next to her.

We just sat there in a comfortable silence, gently swinging back and forth. "Do you wan to play a game?" Clare suggested. "Um, sure."

"Okay, would you rather eat rotten cheese slices or lick a dirty toilet?" Clare asked. I looked up at her with a _' Are you serious?' _look. "Just answer the question." she said. "Hmmm..." I said pretending to stroke my imaginary beard. "I'll have to go with eating rotten cheese." I finally said, laughing. Soon, Clare joined. All of a sudden, she stopped laughing. I looked up at her to see what was wrong, but she was staring at something in the distance. I followed her gaze to a guy with long, brown hair, standing about 20 feet away from us. _This guy looks awfully familiar._ I thought to myself. After a while of straining my eyes, trying to figure out who he was, he started to walk toward us. This guy was about 5 feet away from us when I finally recognized him. I knew exactly who he was.

All the anger inside of me started to build up. I quickly stood up and glared at him. "What are you doing here?" I said with a whole lot of venom in my voice. "Well I'm glad you remember me." he said smugly.

_I was running as fast as I could. I couldn't let them catch me, not this time. I pushed my legs to go faster, if that was even possible. They were slowing catching up to me. I knew that if I gave up- no. I couldn't even think about giving up. I've had enough of this. Telling everyone that I was okay because I'm not. Have you ever had to look your my mom in the eyes and lie? Lie about how everything is fine. Lie about how much you love school. I have. All because of **him**. He was never satisfied and always felt the need to hurt somebody. I felt myself slowing down and tears were stinging my eyes at the thought of me giving up. I was pulled by the collar of my shirt and smacked into the ground. I was turned over and forced to look into his evil, heartless eyes. "Where do you think you're going?"_

I shook my head trying to clear it from that bad memory. "Why are you here?" I asked. He smirked at me and said "Oh you know, just came to visit my old pal." and he patted me on the back. I quickly shook his hand off me. "I was doing perfectly fine without you." I stated. He still had that hideous smirk on his face. "I can see that." he said looking behind me. I turned around and saw Clare now standing up behind me. Hells no. Why is he staring at her like that? I swear if even tries to touch her I'll- wait. I mentally sighed. It's not normal for me to be this protective of her. Unfortunately, we're only friends.

"Just leave us the fuck alone, Jake." Clare said. I widened my eyes and stared at her in disbelief. What did she just say? I wasn't able to move and was frozen in my spot as I watched Clare glare daggers at him. I finally had the ability to speak again.

"You know this guy?"


	2. Chapter 2: Stay Away

_**A/N: Hey! Thank you guys so much for reading and reviewing! It really means a lot to me. So here's chapter 2! One more thing. Julia never existed. It just makes the story easier. You'll see what I mean later. Sorry I took so long to update!**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi, sadly. ):**_

**Eli's POV**

"You know this guy?" I asked in disbelief. "Yeah." she replied with her teeth clenched. How the hell did she know Jake? Why is she so angry to see him? This question made me angry also. Jake is a bad guy. So if Clare knows him, I'm pretty sure its not because of a good thing. "Well, how?" I asked breaking the silence. There was so much more questions going through my head, but this one, I just had to know.

"We used to date."

What? My breathing automatically stopped. Clare went out with this _Neanderthal_? Let me explain to you who Jake is. Jake is my worst enemy. Elementary school years is supposed to be filled with fun memories, always being excited to go to recess, and learning new things. Not for me. Mine years were filled with bad memories, never wanting to go to recess, and the only new things I learned were finding new hiding places to avoid Jake. Jake Martin was my bully. I was only nine years old.

I turned to Clare. "You dated him?" I asked Clare. I wasn't able to believe it from Jake's mouth. After a moment, Clare nodded. I couldn't believe this was happening. "Clare, we have to go, now." I grabbed Clare's wrist and started dragging her back to Morty. While I was dragging her, I turned around to look at Jake. He was standing there smiling with his hands in his pocket. We finally reached Morty and Clare jumped into the passenger side. As I was walking to my side, Jake shouted out to us. "See you later Clare-bear!" I glared at him and got in. "What was that all about?" Clare asked. "I'll tell you later." I said quickly and drove away.

I pulled up to my driveway and parked. I turned Morty off and Clare and I walked inside. I led her to my room and closed the door. She sat down on my bed as I sat in my chair. "Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Clare asked. How was I going to explain this to her? "Jake he's dangerous." I said. Clare snorted, "I dated the guy, don't you think I would know this?" "No you don't understand he's changed and has gotten stronger. I can see it." I said. I was staring straight into Clare's eyes. "How do you know him?" Clare asked softly. I suddenly found my shoes very interesting. "He bullied me when I was nine. He was my worst nightmare for three years, until he finally moved. " I said still looking at my shoes. I couldn't find the courage to look Clare in the eyes. She probably thought I was a wimp. Because of him, I was messed up for the rest of my childhood. I would flinch at the slightest touch and started to shut everyone out. The thought of him ruining my life made me uncomfortable.

I guess Clare sensed my discomfort and took another spare chair I kept in my room to sit next to me. "I'm so sorry." she said while rubbing my back soothingly. I was only able to nod. "I still don't get why he's dangerous. Why is he still after you?" Clare asked, breaking the silence. "He moved because he got caught beating me up one day and was expelled from school. His mom got the news and immediately drove to the school to pick him up. His mom is probably the scariest lady I've ever seen." I shuddered, remembering how furious she was when she came to pick him up. Then I continued, "Before he got into the car, he looked me in the eyes and said 'I'm gonna kill you.' and that was the last time I ever saw him. I've heard from people that his life was a living hell. Apparently, I'm the one who caused that and he won't stop until I'm dead." I said taking a deep breath. "He was a kid, how do you know if he really meant it?" Clare asked. "He has a criminal record. I'm pretty sure it won't be a problem killing me." I stated. Clare tensed up after I said this. Then anger boiled inside of me. My life was perfect without him, and he just comes barging in.

"Well there is no way I'm letting that happen. He'll have to go through me." Clare stated. "No!" I yelled. She flinched at my sudden outburst. "You can't get involved," I explained. "it's too dangerous. This is between Jake and I." I finished. Clare grabbed my hands and she had a pleading look. I melted into her touch. "But I want to help." she whispered. "If you really want to help me, then you have to stay out of it. It's the only way you can be safe." I said. She growled and let go of my hands. I almost whimpered from the loss of warmth. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. I sighed and leaned back in my chair.

I knew this would be difficult. Clare is way to stubborn, but my heart skipped a beat at the thought of her wanting to help. Clare being Jake's ex was already putting her in danger. So keeping her away from him would have to be enough. "No promises." Clare said and got up and left.

* * *

><p><strong>Clare's POV<strong>

I woke up to the sound of my annoying alarm clock. I groaned and pulled the sheets off me to get ready for school. As I was brushing my teeth, I was remembering what happened yesterday. _Jake's back. _My fists clenched at the thought._ He has to go. He'll tell Eli everything. _I thought. I quickly threw some clothes on and brushed through my curls. I put on some eyeliner and looked at myself in the mirror. I had on a floral crop top with a white cami underneath and some ripped skinny jeans. I slipped on some white flats, grabbed my bag, and decided to walk to school so I have some time to think.

Yesterday Eli told me about his past with Jake and I was angry but wasn't surprised Jake would do something like that. He also wants me to stay way from Jake but I can't. If anyone has to stay away from Jake it's him. I knew exactly why Jake was here. I felt bad letting Eli think Jake wanted to kill him but it's the only way he wouldn't find out. So all I have to do for now is play along until I can make Jake go away.

I saw Degrassi coming into view and smiled when I saw a familiar hearse parked into the parking lot. I walked up the steps to the school and pushed the doors open. I was welcomed with hundreds of students chatting and rushing to their next class. I walked up to my locker and entered the combination. "Hey there." said a voice next to me. I looked up to see Jake leaning on the locker next to me. "What do you want?" I spat. "Does he know?" he asked ignoring my question. I slammed my locker hard and turned to look at him. "No; and I intended to keep it that way." I answered coldly. "Well he has a right to know." Jake shot back. "Why do you care anyways? He told me you bullied him." I said putting my hands on my hips. "I've changed." Jake stated looking away. "Whatever, he doesn't need to know and stay away from him." and with that, I turned around and started walking to my next class.

"We'll see about that!" I heard Jake shout behind me but I continued to walk.


End file.
